Learning English as a Family

CRAWFORD. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. LAST YEAR, FLORIDA WELCOMED OVER 178,000 NEW IMMIGRANTS. THAT'S ACCORDING TO THE U.S. CENSUS BUREAU. DESPITE BEING A 56% DROP-OFF FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR, FLORIDA STILL RECORDED THE HIGHEST NET MIGRATION TOTAL OF ANY STATE IN THE COUNTRY. LEARNING ENGLISH IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS IMMIGRANTS FACE WHEN COMING TO AMERICA. BUT IN COLLIER COUNTY, ONE NONPROFIT IS EASING THAT BURDEN BY TAKING A MULTI-GENERATIONAL APPROACH TO TEACHING MIGRANTS HOW TO READ, WRITE AND SPEAK ENGLISH. FOR MORE, I'M JOINED BY LAURA FISHER. SHE IS THE CEO OF GRACE PLACE, WHICH IS LOCATED IN GOLDEN GATE. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME THIS MORNING. WHAT A REMARKABLE NONPROFIT YOU HAVE OF. CAN YOU TELL OUR AUDIENCE WHAT IS THE MISSION OF GRACE PLACE? >> OUR MISSION IS TO BREAK THE CYCLE OF PROPERTY BY PROVIDING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES TO STUDENTS WITHIN THE GOLDEN GATE COMMUNITY. WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS. STARTED REALLY IS A HOMEWORK, HELP COMPONENT AND HAS GROWN TO HAVING 1300 STUDENTS AND PROGRAMS THAT START IS YOUNG IS ONE YEARS OLD AND GO TO OUR OLDEST LEARN ARE STILL LEARNING ENGLISH AT 89 YEARS OLD. THAT'S UNBELIEVABLE. HOW DO YOU ACCOMPLISH THIS? YOU HAVE SUCH A WIDE RANGE OF >> OF JUST FOR YOUR STUDENTS. TRULY VERY DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. BUT WITH A SINGULAR FOCUS ON LITERACY AND MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE MOVING FORWARD. >> AND THEIR LITERACY JOURNEY. SO IN THE MORNING WE HAVE A NON-TRADITIONAL PRESCHOOL PROGRAM. VERY SIMILAR TO OTHER PRESCHOOLS EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT WE REQUIRE THAT A PARENT BE ON SITE, LEARNING ENGLISH AT THE SAME TIME. SO OUR FOCUS IS REALLY ON THOSE FAMILIES IN GOLDEN GATE, THE PROBABLY WOULD NOT PURSUE OTHER EARLY LEARNING COMPONENTS BECAUSE THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT THEY DIDN'T COME FROM A PLACE FOR PRESCHOOL, WAS MAYBE AN OPTION. AND SO STUDENTS DIDN'T LEAVE THE HOME AS LITTLE KIDS THAT MAYBE WENT TO KINDERGARTEN, BUT THEY WEREN'T REALLY LOOKING FOR THAT ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITY TO GET THEM READY FOR KINDERGARTEN. SO WITH 220 STUDENTS IN THAT PROGRAM WITH A PARENT THAT IS THEY'RE LEARNING IN A SEPARATE CLASSROOM. SO THE STUDENTS ARE IN CURRICULUM THAT IS TIED DIRECTLY TO AN ACCREDITED PROGRAM. WE'VE GOT AN 88% TO 92% SUCCESS RATE WITH ALL OF THOSE STUDENTS BEING READY TO GO TO KINDERGARTEN AND THEN THEIR PARENTS ARE LEARNING ENGLISH ASSIMILATING TO THE UNITED STATES. UNDERSTANDING HOW TO BECOME REAL ADVOCATE FOR THEIR STUDENTS AS THEY ENTER THAT TRADITIONAL SCHOOL SYSTEM. AND THEN AS A VPK PROGRAM, IT IS A VPK PROGRAM. SO WE'RE TRACKED BY THE SAME EARLY LEARNING COALITION THAT ANY OTHER PROGRAM WOULD BE. WE'RE REALLY JUST TARGETING A SINGULAR POPULATION. >> AND THEN YOU ALSO HELP ELEMENTARY STUDENTS, BUT DON'T PROVIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CURRICULUM. EXPLAIN THAT EXACTLY. SO WE COME ALONG. COLLIER COUNTY, PUBLIC SCHOOLS. >> AS THE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM. SO WE WORK WITH THE 5 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS WITH IN GOLDEN GATE, THOSE STUDENTS OR BUST BY OUR BUSES DIRECTLY TO OUR 4 ACRE CAMPUS. THEY'RE THEY'RE FROM ABOUT 2.30, IN THE AFTERNOON UNTIL ABOUT 6 O'CLOCK AT NIGHT. SIMILARLY WORKING ON HOMEWORK AND RICHMOND PROGRAM, BUT FOCUSED ON THAT LITERACY AND MAKING SURE THAT READING IS A FOCUS AND A FUN FOCUS WITHIN THOSE HOUSEHOLD. AND THEN ULTIMATELY AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE'VE GOT AN ADULT LEARNING PROGRAM WHERE PEOPLE COME BACK AND CAN CONTINUE THEIR ENGLISH JOURNEY AS ADULTS. OUR OLDEST LEARN OR AS I SAID, IS 89 YEARS OLD AND CONTINUES TO COME EITHER DURING THE DAY OR IN THE EVENING TO JUST INCREASES ENGLISH LEARNING SKILLS. >> NO, I'M CURIOUS WHEN THE ADULTS WANT TO ENROLL, WHAT'S THEIR PROCESS? IS THERE NOT A SILLY DID WITH THE SCHOOL RIGHT? >> SO WE'RE TIED TO THAT ZIP CODE FOR OUR MAIN CAMPUS OR CAMPUS. IN GOLDEN GATE FOCUSES ON THE STUDENTS WHO HAVE GROWN UP IN THE COMMUNITY COME FROM NON-TRADITIONAL HOUSEHOLDS, MEANING ENGLISH IS NOT THEIR MAIN LANGUAGE. SPOKEN AT HOME. MANY OF THE FAMILIES IN THAT COMMUNITY WORKED IN LANDSCAPING. THEY PROBABLY WORK IN HER TO OUR HOTELS. A LOT OF SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS THERE AND SOCIAL OR SERVICE INDUSTRY PROGRAMS THAT SO WE'RE COMING ALONGSIDE OF THEM BECAUSE SOME OF THEM HAVE COME HERE SPEAKING GREAT ENGLISH. WE HAD A WOMAN WHO CAME FROM ARGENTINA WHO HAD BEEN DEGREED AS AN ARCHITECT, VERY, VERY EDUCATED WOMAN. BUT HER ENGLISH REALLY WASN'T WHERE IT NEEDED TO BE TO BE ABLE TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE UNITED STATES. SO SHE AND HER CHILDREN AND HER HUSBAND ENROLLED IN OUR PROGRAMS UNTIL THEY WERE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY FIND EMPLOYMENT AND THE KIDS ARE READY TO GO, YOU KNOW, OFTEN TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. >> HOW DO FAMILIES PAY FOR THIS? EVERYTHING WE DO IS FREE. >> EVERYTHING WE DO IS GREAT. THAT'S WHY WE HAVE A 7 MILLION DOLLAR FUNDRAISING BUDGET EACH YEAR. >> WE DON'T WANT TRANSPORTATION. WE DON'T WANT THE COST OF A PROGRAM TO BE A DETERRENT OR A BARRIER TO ANYBODY ACHIEVING THEIR GOALS. >> CAN YOU TOUCH ON THE SUMMER PROGRAMS BECAUSE YOU'RE YOU'RE AROUND. WE ALL KNOW THAT SUMMER READING SCORES AT DECLINE DURING THE SUMMER FOR MANY CHILDREN. HOW DOES THIS HELP? >> SO WE'VE FOR 2 OF HIS CAMP, EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT IT'S STILL ACADEMIC SPACE, BUT WE GIVE IT MORE OF A FUN SLANT IN THE SUMMER BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT LEARNING YEAR-ROUND CAN BE VERY DIFFICULT. SO FOR ANY HOUSEHOLD FINDING WAYS FOR THAT READING TO BE FUN IS IMPORTANT. AND I THINK RIGHT NOW THIS YEAR WITH WORLD CUP THAT MAKES IT MUCH EASIER FOR EVERYBODY, RIGHT? BECAUSE EVERY FAMILY CAN BE TALKING ABOUT WORLD CUP. YOU CAN BE READING ABOUT WORLD CUP. AND SO KEEPING KIDS ENGAGED DURING THAT TIME IS CRITICAL. A LOT OF STUDENTS WILL LOSE 2 OR 3 MONTHS OF LEARNING OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT IN A PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS WHERE ENGLISH MAY NOT BE THEIR MAIN LANGUAGE. I CAN BE REALLY SIGNIFICANT FOR ALL STUDENTS CAN BE NOT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS, NO MATTER WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE OR WHERE THEY CAME FROM ARE GETTING IS, YOU KNOW, ALL THE TIME AND SO HELPING THEM MAINTAIN THAT JOY OF READING, ESPECIALLY AS THEY CONTINUE TO GO THROUGH LIFE. RIGHT. IF YOU THINK ABOUT YOURSELF, I WANT TO READ A NOVEL. YOU KNOW THAT SOME ARE READ. I'M GONNA GO THE BEACH AND READ SOMETHING THAT'S A LOVE OF LEARNING. THAT'S A LOVE OF READING. SO WE'VE BUILT IN THINGS LIKE OKAY FOR GONNA BUILD COOKIES, YOU NEED TO READ THE RECIPE IF THEY'RE GOING TO BUILD SOMETHING WITH LEGOS, YOU NEED TO READ THE INSTRUCTIONS. WE'RE GONNA GO TO THE ZOO. ALL RIGHT. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ANIMAL THE ZOO? CAN YOU READ ABOUT THAT ANIMAL AND BE ABLE TO SHARE THAT WITH HIM? YOUR APPEARS IN THE OTHER STUDENTS IN HER CLASSES, WE THINK ABOUT BOOK CLUBS. WE ALL AS ADULTS WANT TO BE IN A BOOK CLUB AND CONTINUE TO READ. BUT WE DON'T ALWAYS THINK ABOUT THAT FOR STUDENTS RIGHT? BUT THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH HAVING A FAMILY BOOK CLUB ARE PEER GROUP OF 7 OR 8 YEAR OLDS THAT ARE READING THE SAME BOOK A 13 YEAR OLDS READING THE SAME BOOK. THAT SOUNDS LIKE A BEAUTIFUL BE DEALS ON WONDERFUL PLACE. WE'RE SO PROUD OF IT. THE STUDENTS, YOU KNOW, IT BRINGS UP A DIGNITY AND IT HELPS THEM UNDERSTAND THAT NO MATTER WHAT YOUR BACKGROUND IS, YOU DESERVE. YOU KNOW, A QUALITY EDUCATION AND ARE SO EXCITED ABOUT THAT. THE OTHER REALLY EXCITING THING WE DO IS 5 OF OUR SENIORS. WE HAVE 5 FULL-RIDE SCHOLARS SCHOLARSHIPS THAT ALLOW THEM TO THEN BE ABLE TO GO TO ANY COLLEGE THEY WANT IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA. ON A FREE RIDE. AND SO IT'S VERY COMPETITIVE. AND THAT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE DAYS OF THE YEAR IS TO ACTUALLY WATCHING THE 4 YEAR OLD'S GRADUATE READY TO GO TO KINDERGARTEN AND WATCHING OUR SENIORS RECEIVED THEIR FULL RIDE. SCHOLARSHIPS ARE JUST REALLY EXCITING TIMES FOR ME. THAT'S JUST AWESOME. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS REALLY WONDERFUL INFORMATION ABOUT A GREAT ORGANIZATION. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. GREAT. THANKS FOR JOINING US TODAY. >> YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT GRACE PLACES IMPACT ON THE COLLIER COUNTY COMMUNITY BY VISITING ITS WEBSITE, GRACE PLACE, NAPLES DOT ORG.